topgun2

Both headed to the Non-Rally?

Certainly there is nothing "wrong" with removing these hub covers/caps and there are many trailers going down the road with the hubs "bare". And, as has been pointed out, the removal does make checking the hub temperature a bit easier particularly if you have a laser guided temperature sensor (better known as a thermometer). However, there have been two occasions where these covers have come in handy for me when the grease cap at the end of the hub came off. When the first one came off I assumed that the shop where I had my bearings repacked simply didn't re-install the cap properly. But when it came off again (after I installed it) plus another one came off, it became apparent that I had received a couple of caps that were not up to specification. Upon getting four new caps I have never had another problem. When these caps came off there is nothing keeping dirt and junk from getting into the grease/bearings. Until I could replace those caps all I did was put some tape over the end of the cover to help keep things in there cleaner. While I did lose the little cap at the end of the cover each time, I didn't lose the actual grease cap given that it was caught by the cover. Bill p.s. Just another reason why a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is a good thing to have - it allows you to keep an eye on tire/wheel assemblies even while driving down the road.

Simple - Re-review the video at the top of this thread. As I recall, there are eight zerks per side for a total of 16. 12 of the 16 are easily seen but the others at the top where the Dexter attach to the frame can be a bit more difficult to see. Wipe off the zerk, attach you grease gun, pump grease until you see new grease coming out from around the bolt, remove grease gun, clean up mess and excess grease from around the Dexter and zerk. If you have them attach a zerk cap to help keep the zerk clean. Complete the first side, have an adult beverage and then complete the other side and call it a day.😃 Bill

GREAT! - I can wait for your return and I assume that the beverages in the fridge are cold? 😂

Since these zerks come in a number of sizes, I've always simply taken out the old one and used it to make sure that I either got the right replacement from the workshop or from the local NAPA dealer (I'm sure that Tractor Supply and others will have them too). Yes, they simply screw out. Other than a general surface cleaning to make sure the threads don't have a bunch of dirt in them I've never gone on a deep dive for cleaning - the new grease should take care of that. Before you throw out that old zerk - give the little ball in the end a light tap with a drift or nail set tool to see if you can get it un-stuck. Perhaps a little brake cleaner or "Liquid Wrench" (after you have taken it out) will loosen it up too. If that works, then you have a spare for the next time. Finally, look at the one you are replacing and think about if an angled zerk would make the job easier. These angled zerks are about the same price as the standard straight ones. Bill

Yes. But, given the amount of room to walk around and the smoothness of the fiberglass it is certainly not all that safe to be walking around up there. I am virtually always on my hands and knees with some sort of pad under my knees. This pad serves two purposes - 1 - makes it a bit more comfortable on the knees and -2- it helps distribute the weight (165 pounds) over a larger area. Bill

Can I assume that you have close to zero interest in waxing mine when you are done with yours? Actually I don't really mine waxing the lower 2/3 but doing the roof is a real pain when the driveway is fairly sloped. As far as the solar panels are concerned - I really wouldn't think that full timing or not makes a bunch of difference. I've never seen much difference in the performance of the panels even though I'm sure that they do perform better when squeaky clean. During my longest trip every year - about two months - I travel some very dusty roads. But, it seems that the rain takes care of most of the "dirt" problem such that I have never even tried to clean them while on these trips. Bill

When they're dirty?😁

There's at least one other adjective that I can think of for this behavior. 😅

You're going to love it - very stable! Bill

"Needless"? And I thought that this was the epitome of intelligencia ! Bill

You mean something like THESE ? Bill

MrClean - Awhile back one of our esteemed Oliver owners replaced his porch lights and posted THIS thread of how he did it. Bill

Violet - common blue (Viola papilionacea) Or, I call it another blue flower.😁

Technically, those are: Iris kristata (crested dwarf iris) - at least that is what my wife says. I simply call them blue flowers. Bill

As I'm guessing that Ken has found out by now - this is not a "hard" job as long as you have the right tools. Zerks (the things that you attach the grease gun hose to) can get plugged making it all but impossible to get any grease flowing. The grease gun can be difficult to attach and remove from those zerks. The entire job can be a bit messy given that you are dealing with grease and crawling around under the Ollie. But, the job doesn't really take that long to do and it creates a good number of points for your "man" card. Bill 👷‍♀️

Last year we had a short discussion about what time of the year do the fireflies come out in the mountains of western North Carolina. Well, within the next three weeks or so some 20 varieties of fireflies will begin to do their annual ritual and this includes the "blue" fireflies that are only know to exist in very limited ranges and the synchronous fireflies that are "famous" in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park (June 1-8 and it takes a lottery ticket to get to see these which are available at Recreation.gov from today through May 3rd). Good luck on getting a ticket! Bill

And - since you asked for "nature stuff" - learn how to recognize western poison ivy. It does look slightly different than the eastern variety - see THIS - in any case - "leaves of three, let it be".

Even if you replace the screens in your Oliver with something like THIS, really small critters will still find a way in. There are many of THESE zappers/lanterns on the market and the two that I have really do work - as long as you only have them on with no other lights on inside. Another tip is to turn on those "exterior courtesy lights" on the Oliver before stepping outside. Twice now I've had a snake lounging on that nice warm paved area just at the bottom of the Ollie steps 😬 (both were harmless black snakes but I'm sure glad I saw them). Bill

I'll see your desert rodent and raise you a bull moose or elk during the rut in Fall plus a griz in Spring, Summer and Fall.😅

Not unless you ask for one. While I strongly encourage a factory tour I would hesitate to recommend anyone spend the time and effort just to take a factory tour when coming from Oregon. Adding it on to your delivery schedule would be a good idea though in that you can take pictures and generally become acquainted with how your Oliver was put together. If I were doing this, I'd plan on doing the tour one day and then taking delivery the next day. Trying to do both in one day is asking a bunch. Bill

While I believe that the guys working for Oliver are a great bunch, I really don't think that there is anyone there that cares where the donuts come from.😃 Bill

Try this for that link. Bill

You might want to contact ShallowGal - they did this exact trip. Bill

This is very interesting in that I've been using the WalMart stuff for 20 years with absolutely nothing happening. Bill